Garmin GPS watches?

rvice2

I run about 30+ miles per week and am thinking of getting one of the Garmin GPS watches. I have read LOTS of reviews and they are so mixed. I have seen lots of reviews where the older 305 model has better reviews than the newer 405. Any of you guys have one? What are your thoughts?

fzyfrog

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tabbychiro

I have the 305 and it has been great. I've heard mixed stuff about the 405, that the bezel is too sensitive but others say you can just lock it.

With the 305, calories burned is determined by distance & time not the HRM so you don't get calories burned when you use it indoors.

BryanAir

I have the Garmin 305 and I love it. The only downside I can think of is that it is rather big. I would be happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

sburt1

I have the Garmin forerunner and LOVE it!! It does my calories and if I wear my hrm it does that as well!! I run as well and would be lost without it!!

ashley_jorah

I have the 305 and I've used the 405.

I have no problems with my 305, I love it. I can easily navigate between menus and screen while I'm running. You can also have four or five data fields visible (ie/ HR, speed, distance, calories, etc) while the 405 can only show three. You can turn the unit completely off as well. Does not show current time of day. I like the ease of connecting to my computer with a cable. I find the ant+ system the 405 uses frustrating at first. It is quite bulky though.

Trying to use the 405 seemed more complicated to use and to transfer data from. But it's much smaller. I'm sure if I had it, I'd get used to it and like it just the same eventually. I just haven't spent enough time with it. You can also see the time of day. You cannot turn the unit completely off. It just goes into power-saver mode. I assume you'd have to charge the battery more often.

Since the 305 is cheaper and seems easier for me to use, I'll stick with it.

tabbychiro

You can set the 305 to show the time of day. But it isn't a watch like a wristwatch.

LewisBirchenough

I've borrowed the 405 from a friend and have been using it quite a lot. I like that it measures distances and that you can download run data to a computer, but I don't like the bezel design much. I think they've gone for aesthetics over practicality. The bezel can be much too sensitive, more so when you're a bit sweaty, making it difficult to control, especially when you're tired at the end of a run. In my experience it can go haywire at times. You can lock the bezel, although I often like to use the controls as I'm running e.g. to toggle screens. Also, the bezel lock control is quite similar to the pause workout control! Having said all that, I think I read on Garmin's website that there's a new version of the 405 with an improved bezel.

my3kidos

I have the garmin 305 and LOVE it. I feel naked when I run without it. I wear my hrm no matter what exercise I do so I know just what I burn- even wear it doing p90x.

TrainerRobin

I own the Garmin 310XT and love, love, love it! I wouldn't have paid for that model but my husband bought it for me as a gift after he learned that of all the models, it's the one that calculates your calories based on your actual heart rate.

I've bought several 305 for gifts and the recipients seem to love them. Tip: I bought one of them for $99 on walmart.com on Black Friday -- but everyday, they're still pretty cheap then.

If you get the 305, consider buying the foot pod (I bought via amazon.com because it was much cheaper than anywhere else). With that, it tracks my distance and is very accurate (agrees with my treadmill 100%).

I did talk to a GPS HRM guru at our local running store and he said that a new improved version of the 405 has come out and is supposed to avoid the problems of the old one being so touchy and off/scattered when you touch the bezel with a sweaty fingertip.

If you have more questions, feel free to message me. Enjoy! I don't think I'd be nearly as serious of a runner as I am, if I didn't have the 310XT. I love the easy upload of my data and all of the details that I get on the Garmin site after I upload.

thcri

I have the Garmin FR60. It came with the HRM and Footpod for about 130.00 on Amazon. It also connects to my bike cadence sensor and in all activities gives me more info than I need and connects to Garmin Connect.

One thing nice about a sensor like the Garmins is you can tracmk each of your workouts which helps in pushing yourself.